The Beast of Nightfall Lodge

The Institute for Singular Antiquities #2

by Steven Sidor

A mysterious explorer hires a team of adventurers to join him in a hunt for a monstrous beast, in this rip-roaring sequel to Fury From the Tomb.

When Egyptologist Rom Hardy receives a strange letter from his old friend, the bounty-hunting sniper Rex McTroy, he finds himself drawn into a chilling mystery. In the mountains of New Mexico, a bloodthirsty creature is on the loose, leaving a trail of bodies in its wake. Now, a wealthy big game hunter has offered a staggering reward for its capture, and Rom's patron - the headstrong and brilliant Evangeline Waterston - has signed the team up for the challenge. Awaiting them are blizzards, cold-blooded trappers, remorseless hunters, a mad doctor, wild animals and a monster so fearsome and terrifying, it must be a legend come to life.

Genres: Horror, Fantasy, Adventure, Fiction, Westerns, Pulp

400 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published February 5, 2019

About the author

I'm the author of the critically-acclaimed dark thrillers Skin River, Bone Factory, and The Mirror’s Edge. My latest novel of terror, Pitch Dark, is about a young woman on the run from a dangerous apocalyptic cult.

Reviews

[Luvtoread (Trying to catch up) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Outstanding!

This was a terrific and unusual western style adventure and horror story with a touch of fantasy all wrapped up in an "edge of your seat" thrilling story.

The story begins on New Year's Day in 1909 with Egyptologist and historian Rom Hardy telling his associate the lovely Evangeline the story of his fearsome and fateful experience at the Nightfall Lodge which stood on top of a mountain and took place thirty years earlier in the dead of winter around the year 1879. Up in the mountains roams a beast that has brutally killed seven men in ways that are unnatural to any predatory animal and the owner of Nightfall Lodge is offering a small fortune for the live capture of this elusive and deadly beast. There will be a total of 9 recruits not including the owner of the lodge, his wife and two grown children who also want to participate in the hunting party competition. Among some of the characters you will find a couple of gunslingers, a medium (possible witch), a bounty hunter, a young Chinese-American cowboy, a mountain man with a pet bear, a blue eyed Indian guide who also happens to be mute and a travelling medicine man whose companion is very young but he calls himself "Billy The Kid" even though the real Billy had been deceased for many years and there is another colorful character named Orcus and a few others who I will let you discover on your own while taking this wonderful reading adventure. I enjoyed this book tremendously and I hope there will be other Rom Hardy adventures to to be read. This book was so well-written and took me to another time with it's descriptive imagery and wonderful prose. I loved that the book kept me on the edge of my seat and never failed at keeping my interest and curiosity since this was such an unusual and extremely flavorful story.

I want to thank the author SA Sidor, the publisher Angry Robot and Netgally for allowing me the opportunity to read this ARC and I am happily giving my honest and unbiased review of this terrific story. I highly recommend this wonderful and stylised horror story to any reader who would like to enjoy a rare treat! I have given this most unusual book 5 Outstanding 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 stars!!

[Chad · Rating 4 out of 5]

In the sequel to Fury from the Tomb, S.A. Sidor veers slightly from action / adventure into straight up horror. Egyptologist Rom Hardy is invited to New Mexico to meet up with his friends from his last adventure to hunt down a mysterious supernatural beast. There he meets up with mediums, Billy the Kid, lycanthropes and more as he and his Scooby gang try to hunt down the Beast before it hunts them down first. It's a fast paced read that I ripped through. I'm looking forward to further adventures from The Institute for Singular Antiquities.

Received a review copy from Angry Robot and Edelweiss. All thoughts are my own and in no way influenced by the aforementioned.

[Viking Jam · Rating 5 out of 5]

Publishing Date: February 2019

Publisher: Angry Robot

ISBN:9780857667649

Genre: Fantasy

Rating: 4.6/5

Publisher’s Description: When Egyptologist Rom Hardy receives a strange letter from his old friend, the bounty-hunting sniper Rex McTroy, he finds himself drawn into a chilling mystery. In the mountains of New Mexico, a bloodthirsty creature is on the loose, leaving a trail of bodies in its wake. Now, a wealthy big game hunter has offered a staggering reward for its capture, and Rom’s patron – the headstrong and brilliant Evangeline Waterston – has signed the team up for the challenge. Awaiting them are blizzards, cold-blooded trappers, remorseless hunters, a mad doctor, wild animals and a monster so fearsome and terrifying, it must be a legend come to life.

Review: I am really, really tired because I stayed up so late reading this grand tale of supernatural adventure. This is the most fun I have had in a long time. This novel has everything in it that I love. Great characters, an involved mystery and expansive world building.

I really liked the movement that was coupled to this constant shifting of scenes that focuses your attention. Each scene is crafted to involve the reader with vivid details and the story line never loses an edge because of it. Besides a few head scratchers where you have to suspend your disbelief, this was a really well done adventure. Strangely, the cover art depicts a beast with moose horns when in the novel they were Elk horns

If you like a novel set in the great industrial revolution with proper manners colliding with outllaws, all wrapped in a mysterious fantasy, then the table is set.

You can read all of my reviews, HERE.

[Benji's Books · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun sequel to "Fury of the Tomb", but not really a pulpy action novel like the previous entry. No, this one is more of a horror novel.

Recommended.

[Magdalena · Rating 2 out of 5]

I have to admit that the cover and the fabulous blurb made me eager to read this book. Alas, I did not love the book as much as I had hoped I would do. I loved the idea of the book, about a monster terrorizing and killing people in the mountains of New Mexico and the prologue that takes place 30 years late really piqued my interested. However, I kind of struggled with the book. Partly it was interesting and partly very slow to get through. It did end on a high note. Fabulous albeit sad ending I must say.

Thanks for the publisher for providing me with a free copy through NetGalley!

[Little Timmy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nice 2nd book in the series. Good entertaining and quick read. Recommended

[Guillermo Querido · Rating 3 out of 5]

If I was allowed to save just one book from a fire in my apartment, it would be my annotated HP Lovecraft collection. Nothing enthrals me quite like a story about a terrifying monster in some weird and remote location. So when I heard about SA Sidor’s The Beast of Nightfall Lodge, I immediately requested an advanced reader copy, as it’s description promised me exactly that;

When Egyptologist Rom Hardy receives a strange letter from his old friend, the bounty-hunting sniper Rex McTroy, he finds himself drawn into a chilling mystery. In the mountains of New Mexico, a bloodthirsty creature is on the loose, leaving a trail of bodies in its wake.

The eeriness and suspense that I hoped for was intense from the moment the story arrives in New Mexico. Sidor’s descriptions of a desperate and hopeless New Mexican frontier town, coupled with the intense paranoia and worry that have a near constant hold on the protagonist, stoked my own sense of apprehension and concern about what was in store. Furthermore, as the plot develops and Rom’s sanity becomes more questionable with each chapter, it becomes harder to have faith in what you believe is actually happening up on the mountain. Rom himself encapsulates this best;

That is what is so insidious about this whole affair. We stop trusting each other. Everyone hides a monster inside. This is what we come to believe. We are the monsters. It eats away at us.

The combination of supernatural and cryptozoology elements worked well. In hindsight, the book has plenty of clues (and red herrings) as to the nature of the beast. However, with there being so much uncertainty about what is real and what is actually happening, these clues get lost in the fog and snowstorms that subjugate everything. Indeed, it is not knowing what it is that is being hunted (or, rather, what is doing the hunting) that brilliantly cultivates fear and uneasiness throughout. Ultimately, I found the truth behind the monster to be quite satisfying.

SPOILERS
I really enjoyed the book, but there were a couple of elements of the book that irked me to varying degrees. The story is actually recounted by Rom himself, some 30 years after the fact. I thought that it was a strange decision and even once it became clear why Sidor had done this, I still found that it rubbed me the wrong way. The ‘revivication’ arc of the story also didn’t work for me. Even in a book featuring demons, séances, and people transforming into animals, a severed head covered in green, life-giving ooze felt ridiculous. Even the story behind its origin failed.
END SPOILERS

Despite these issues, The Beast of Nightfall Lodge was great fun to read. For those of you who enjoy mystery, fear, and monsters, grab a copy and head off into the wilderness. You’ll have a great time.

Thanks to the publishers, Angry Robot, for an advanced reader copy

http://theunseenlibrary.com/2018/12/2...

[Joyce · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 stars

Romulus “Rom” Hardy is the chief investigator for an institute run by Evangeline Waterston. He calls his enterprise the Institute for Singular Antiquities. It soon morphed into the Waterston Institute for Singular Antiquities. They also have a friend and fellow adventurer named Dr. Yong Wu. He is also their researcher. They are assisted by a bounty-hunting sniper called Rex McTroy.

Rom and Evangeline are discussing the adventure they had with “the beast” some thirty years earlier. And so our story begins. Rom begins to recall what happened during that fateful adventure in New Mexico.

Oscar and Vivienne Adderly invite Evangeline, McTroy and Rom to New Mexico to hunt a beast of unknown type that is killing hunters in the area. Yong Wu tags along. Vivienne is a medium and channels one of the killed hunters. He tells a chilling story. The odd thing is that not only can Vivienne apparently see the hunter, but Rom can as well. He is mesmerized and almost fails to escape the fire that engulfs the saloon shortly after the presentation. Also there are eerie sounds accompanying the séance.

The hunt begins when all of the principals gather. Death and destruction follows on their heels. What seems real may not be…

This is a well written and plotted novel. It is filled with interesting and unusual characters – each unique in their own way: some are arrogant, some are stupid and some are unbelievable. I liked Rom and his friends, but the rest of them…mmm…not so much. The story was interesting, action-filled and adventurous and I enjoyed it very much. I immediately went to Amazon and put SA Sidor’s first book on my “wish” list.

I want to thank NetGalley and Angry Robot for forwarding to me a copy of this unusual book for me to read, enjoy and review.

[Mark Smith-briggs · Rating 3 out of 5]

Egyptologist Rom Hardy finds himself on the hunt for a bloodthirsty creature in the mountains of New Mexico in this fun monster hunter title.

The sequel to Fury of the Tomb clips along at a fair pace and plays out like a darker Scooby Doo adventure, full of plot twists and turns and a dose of native American mythology.

With likable characters and an early 20th century setting this is a fun, if disposable, fare in the vein of pulp adventure stories.

[Benjamin Thomas · Rating 4 out of 5]

The follow-up to Fury From the Tomb begins in 1920, almost 35 years after the events of that first book. A mature Rom Hardy and Evangeline Waterson of the Institute for Singular Antiquities are reminiscing about prior adventures when Evangeline decides she wants to hear Rom’s version of one particular adventure having to do with a Beast at Nightfall Lodge back in 1890 in the mountains surrounding Raton New Mexico. The rest of the book describes that adventure in full detail.

This is a solid sequel to the first book, continuing the over-the-top plot and style. The main story involves a wealthy big-game hunter who seeks the ultimate kill. No not a human being…that’s been done to death. Instead, he hunts “the Beast”, a supernatural wendigo-type monster. To aid him in the hunt, he invites a number of guests to join in, including a huge hulking mountain man with a trained grizzly bear, a wild west gunslinger, a snake-oil salesman/inventor, a mute Native American, and a man claiming to be Billy the Kid (although the Kid had been killed by Pat Garrett several years previously -- sure looks like him though...). And of course, all four of Rom Hardy’s team from book one are invited as well. The prize for who can capture the Beast? The true and authentic golden calf idol from when Moses went up Mt Sinai to receive the Ten Commandments. Wouldn’t that be a fine addition to the Institute for Singular Antiquities!

What follows is a rollicking adventure mixed with gruesome horror, humor and supernatural injections of lycanthropy, séances, and resurrecting the dead. Once again, there is a lot of plot packed in to this one novel but somehow the author manages to make it a coherent story. It blends the best of Indiana Jones, the writings of H.P. Lovecraft, the weird-west genre, and classic Universal monster movies.

This is modern pulp adventure done right. It’s fun reading all the way through and I certainly hope there are more to come in this series.

[Maxine · Rating 3 out of 5]

Egyptologist Rom Hardy receives an invitation from a old friend to take part in a hunt in New Mexico. The prey is a strange beast that is haunting Nightfall Lodge, the home of a wealthy hunter and his family. The winner of the hunt will receive a prize of unimaginable value and something an Egyptologist couldn't possible pass up. But Rom and his friend aren't the only invitees and the beast is not the only dangerous creature they will have to face.

The Beast of Nightfall Lodge by SA Sidor is an enjoyable read for the most part. It's an interesting combination of the late 19th c American west and cryptozoology including werecats and a possible Wendigo. Unfortunately it didn't always seem to work at least for me. There were elements of the story that really didn't seem to do much to move the story along and seemed only there as filler. Still, overall, it kept me reading and for anyone who enjoys paranormal tales with supernatural beasts and a legendary outlaw or two, this might be just what you're looking for.

Thanks to Netgalley and Angry Robot for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review

[Ethan’s Books · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was pleasantly surprised how much I enjoyed this. This book is very visual which is always an A+ in my opinion.
Some parts did drag a little. I honestly enjoyed the characters and the adventure so much I didn’t care.

Plus the beginning scene where the wife throws the book at the main character and almost breaks his pipe, exploding embers everywhere made me laugh and set me on the right path with these characters.

So that, I’m thankful for.

This book isn’t for everyone but it was for me.
It’s a shame that the rest of the authors books have such low ratings.

Oh well.

Maybe he will make some more books in this series.

[Robert Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pretty fun

[Chris Kirby · Rating 5 out of 5]

The fact that there are only two of these books makes me ill! I enjoyed this one just as much as the first, if not more. This one played a little more on the horror, and it did not disappoint!

[Paul · Rating 4 out of 5]

The brave souls who make up The Institute for Singular Antiquities have returned with a new adventure. Dr Romulus Hugo Hardy, Rom to his friends, is the brains of the operation. Evangeline Waterston is the Institutes benefactor and occult expert while cowboy Rex McTroy is the action man. Finally, there is Wu the orphaned boy who McTroy took under his wing after the events in Fury From The Tomb. Once again, the plucky group of adventurers are called upon to unravel a potentially supernatural mystery. On a lonely mountain, a fearsome creature is stalking human prey. Is what haunts the woods merely a vicious grizzly bear, or something far more sinister and otherworldly?

Rom remains the very definition of an academic; studious and natural inquisitive. Myths, magic, monsters and history always hold his attention, to the point where he is often entirely oblivious of anything else. Fortunately, when thing go awry (which they often do), Rex McTroy is on hand to protect the good doctor. It would be easy to dismiss McTroy as the archetypal gunslinger, but there is more to him than that. His relationship with Rom has an almost brotherly feel. McTroy gently mocks the doctor regularly in that good-natured way that sibling often do. You get a real sense that the dynamic between the two men, experts in their respective fields, is evolving.

Wu and Evangeline Waterson also return, but sadly they don’t have quite as much to do. The Beast of Nightfall Lodge is very much Rom and, to a lesser degree, Rex’s story. I hope in future Wu and Evangeline get the opportunity to move forward to centre stage and we get to learn more about them both. Even after two books there is still an enigmatic air that surrounds Evangeline and her intentions for the Institute. I’d love to know more about what is going on.

Of the new characters that appear I have to admit Orcus was an immediate favourite.

I’ve been trying to think of what I can best compare The Beast of Nightfall Lodge to and I think the most appropriate response is The Thing by John Carpenter. Think about it, a small group of characters, trapped in an isolated locale, up against a malevolent creature driven to kill. There is also that similar wonderfully dark sense of paranoia and unease that escalates with each passing chapter. Who can be trusted? What is motivating the various people at the lodge. Are all of them exactly who they appear to be?

As with its predecessor, a nod of appreciation must be directed towards the artist Daniel Strange for the wonderfully pulpy cover design. I can well imagine readers are going to be drawn to the novel just by the cover art alone. I know if I spotted the book in a shop or for sale online, I would be curious enough to learn more.

I enjoy the episodic nature of the books in this series. Each are perfectly serviceable as standalone reads but also reference one another just enough to create a sense of continuity. Who knows where Rom Hardy and co will end up next? I look forward to finding out.

[Daniel · Rating 3 out of 5]

This review originally published in
This book moves from that Indiana Jones-style adventure of the first book, into more of the Roger Corman horror flick-style. Still it works, and for those who want something quick and dark (but not too scary) then this is probably what you are looking for.

I miss the more obvious threat of Egyptian mummies (just writing "Egyptian mummies" brings to mind an immediate image of terror). Moving to a 'beast' of unknown likeness means that author S.A. Sidor has to work harder to bring the terror to mind, and in that, he maybe isn't quite as successful. But the action surrounding the hunt and the ending somewhat make up for this.

Looking for a good book? For a quick action/horror read, like watching a 1960's B-movie, check out S.A. Sidor's The Beast of Nightfall Lodge, the second book in The Institute for Singular Antiquities series.

I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher, through Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.

[TJ · Rating 2 out of 5]

2 1/2 stars. This is the second book in The Institute of Singular Antiquities series and really doesn't improve on the first book, in my humble opinion. The cast of characters (Rom, Evangeline, McTroy, and Wu) from book one are reunited this time at a lonely, isolated mansion in search of a mysterious animal known as the Beast. The group is one of three "teams" challenged with finding, capturing, or killing the Beast by eccentric millionaire Oscar Adderly.
Rom and crew (and the other teams) soon find out that they are in for more than they bargained for and the body count starts to rise. Throw in Adderly's bizarre family, wife Viv who's a medium and their spooky twin siblings, Claude and Cassi, and the plot takes on a couple of additional spins. It is soon apparent that the Beast has more layers than the intrepid hunters are led to believe.
There's just not enough interesting action (too many mansion scenes) for the plot to keep driving forward for this reader.
It's certainly not a bad book, but there are plenty of better ones to spend time with. I don't know if a third book is planned for the series, but for this reader, there won't be.

[Yawning Druid · Rating 4 out of 5]

Truth be told, I think I enjoyed this a bit more than Fury From the Tomb. While the first book had a very pulp feel to it, this felt more dreadful and even gothic at times. The setting is powerful and unchanging, very unlike Fury, which was a traveling adventure. Nightfall feels more tense. Some elements of this one felt a bit predictable, not in the sense of poor writing but rather heavily foreshadowed. I think Sidor has decent enough characters to build more on this series. I especially felt more connected to the characters than previously, flaws and clichés included. Very little in the way of character development here, and at times the story feels a bit vanilla. But otherwise a great read, more horror/thriller than horror/adventure like Fury. At the end, I would be happy to read some more about Rom and Co. Some holes in Sidor's writing started to feel patched up and left me with the feeling that another installment has the potential to be great.

Final rating: 8.3/10

[Realms & Robots · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Beast of Nightfall Lodge is some of the most fun you’ll have this winter. Filled with adventure and danger, murder and mayhem, it’s a wonderful fantasy novel that inches you closer and closer to a monster you grow to fear. I heard great things about Sidor’s first book, Fury From the Tomb, and this second book in the series lives up to that hype.

Horror is used to great effect. Tales of the beast are gruesome, with descriptors that paint a horrifying picture. This is a monster I wanted to discover. Expect an adventure that takes you to the mysteries of the wilderness and the dark forces lying in wait to devour mankind.

NOTE: I was provided a free copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for my honest, unbiased review.

[Sheldon Wiebe · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well, damn!

Another potential series with two brilliant episodes, so far!

Egyptologist Dr. Romulus Hardy finds himself way out of his comfort zone in an adventure in the wintry mountains of New Mexico as he and his Institute for Singular Activities co-founder Evangeline Waterston find themselves in a hunt for a Beast that may (or may not) be an ancient Algonquin creature of myth.

The Beast of Nightfall Lodge is as fast paced and exciting as its predecessor (Fury from the Tomb) - filled with incidents natural and unnatural (including some weird side effects Rom discovers that must have been caused by the events of the first book).

I wait with bated breath for the next episode in the series (or at least, I sincerely hope that there will be a next episode).

[Heather | Nerdy By Nature Blog · Rating 2 out of 5]

Like the first book, this is Rom retelling events that had happened years prior. In this adventure, Rom receives a letter from McTroy and finds himself thrust into a mystery of a blood thirsty creature that's prowling through the mountains of New Mexico. A big game hunter who lives on the mountains has promised a huge reward for whoever can capture the beast, so of course headstrong Evangeline has signed the gang up. What follows is a wild adventure through the snow fighting everything from mad doctors to wild animals and a monster so terrifying it's not of this world.

I was a bit hesitant to jump into this after not really loving the first, but I was pleasantly surprised by it. I definitely found it faster than FFtT, but it still had its moments where it dragged a bit. Again, no one thinks twice about the supernatural elements, which I just find strange. I did think some of the new characters were interesting, especially the twins, but my favorite was Orcus the talking dog. I thought he was adorable. Some of the plot points were a little predictable, especially in regards to the twins. The ending was very sad, but I liked it. It had everything come full circle. Even though I didn't fully love it, I did think this one was better than the first.

[Aurora · Rating 4 out of 5]

A roller coaster ride of an adventure story told as the memoirs of one of the "beast hunters". Were cats, a medium, a wendigo and a rag tag band of adventurers populate this paranormal big game hunt set in New Mexico in 1890. There's plenty of terror, action and intrigue, and Sidor weaves together a story that will keep you guessing until the closing pages.
If you're looking for something a little different in your paranormal or historical reading material, a visit to Nightfall Lodge might be just what you're looking for.

[Colin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another great adventure for the Institute for Singular Antiquities!

I loved the first book (Fury from the Tomb), so I had high expectations for this one . . . And it did not disappoint! The protagonists of the first book return, this time to a mountaintop lodge (Nightfall Lodge) in New Mexico, this time in the trail of a terrible cannibal spirit (something like the Wendigo), but with shapeshifters, a medium, and someone with a re-animation serum like Dr. Herbert West in H.P.L. So much awesomeness!

[Seth Tucker · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely devoured this book. The characters are well-written and thoroughly enjoyable. The adventure that takes them to the Sangre De Cristo mountains is an enthralling mystery filled with danger, intrigue, and unnatural threats to mind, body, and soul. I did not know this was book 2 of the series, and it read just fine without having read the first volume. If you enjoy pulp adventures and strange mysteries in the late 1800s this book is a must read. Join the Institute for Singular Antiquities as they fight to unravel the truths around the Beast of Nightfall Lodge.

[Benjamin Kahn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Second book in this series, second book I've read by Steven Sidor, and the second book that I really enjoyed. Sidor moves the action along at a good place, manages to maintain the humour without it detracting from the story, and I have to admit, I really enjoy the character of Rom Hardy.

I think I liked this book even better than the first, perhaps because there were fewer elements to deal with - the book is kind of a mix between a monster story, and a whodunit, and the characters and situations kept me enthralled throughout. Excellent.

[Joseph Gagnon · Rating 1 out of 5]

Grabbed this book from the library for the cover. Didn’t realize it was a sequel, but I don’t mind that. The writing was too one dimensional for me, and the characters were stereotypical. I found the setting strange and not in the way the author intended. Perhaps it was just the wrong time for this. I’d have finished it if I hadn’t anything going on in my life. This book was a chore instead of a distraction.

[Kevin Crow · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is another tough review for me. Pure enjoyment was 4 stars but there were too many oddities to give it that rating. I enjoyed this one more than the first, but the structure and some plot elements were all over the place. I think the largest contributing factor to this feeling, is that none of the side plots contribute to the main plot in any meaningful way. That being said, I would still recommend it if you’re looking for a quirky adventure book.

[Ron · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rom Hardy got summoned from NYC to the Arizona desert by Rex McTroy to participate in a very strange hunt for a bloodthirsty beast. A wealth big game hunter is offering a bounty and several teams are competing for the prize. Rom, McTroy, Wu, and Evangeline Waterston reunite to chase this beast. But are they the hunter or the prey? And how does one win when one cannot trust their own sense half the time? A decent sequel to Fury from the Tomb that tries a bit to hard.

[Alexandra Pearson · Rating 3 out of 5]

This isn't going to be everyone's cup of tea, but it was just what I needed this weekend when it's freezing outside and I'm not feeling well. Lots of fun with a dash of creepy weirdness and a dollop of gore. I'll definitely be keeping an eye out for the first book, although it didn't matter that I hadn't read it.

[Christian Freed · Rating 4 out of 5]

Once I got past the first person narrative and got used to the author's style I found the story was fairly entertaining. A good old fashioned romp in the Old West. This book reminds me of a few other emerging voices in fantasy. Overall I enjoyed the story and am looking forward to reading the next.